Best Ways to Exfoliate Acne-Prone Skin

Exfoliation needs no introduction at all to us ladies! But still, in the simplest language, exfoliation is the process of removing old, dead skin cells on the skin’s outermost surface, to help maintain healthy skin. Exfoliation is a very important/necessary part of skin care routine, be it any skin type ; but Exfoliating Acne prone skin can be really tricky. In this Article, you will find the right ways to exfoliate Acne Prone skin, some tips and a few suggestive products which I have been using for a while.

Have you heard about Desquamation?

Desquamation is the shedding of the outermost membrane or layer of a tissue, such as the skin. It is the process by which body naturally exfoliates (aka cell turnover): a new skin cell is born in the deepest layer of the epidermis and during its life span, migrates to the uppermost layer of skin. Yes, you heard it right; our skin naturally sheds the dead skin cells over a period of time. But if this is true, then why exfoliate! The reason is with time and age, the skin’s ability to naturally shed dead skin cells reduces. Plus if you have Acne Prone skin the condition is even bad, as Acne-prone skin produces more dead skin cells than normal and these cells don’t shed properly and they remain stuck on the skin’s surface creating a clog (leading to whiteheads and blackheads). That’s the reason regular exfoliation is so important for acne prone skin types.

Options available for exfoliating Acne Prone skin

Broadly, there are two basic/good options available for Acne Prone skin ie. Physical and Chemical Exfoliation.

Physical exfoliation involves manually removing dead skin cells with the help of an abrasive ingredient. It can be something as simple as an over-the-counter scrub, or a professional procedure, such as micro dermabrasion. Physical scrubs definitely leave your skin feeling soft and smooth, but I strongly believe they are not the best choice for acne-prone skin. Reason being, a scrub leads to friction on the skin that can irritate already inflamed skin, increase redness and promote additional breakouts. I would suggest that if you have active inflamed acne, you should avoid physical exfoliators or choose the kind of scrubs that are very mild on the skin (milder the better)
Here is a list of my personal favorites and I would suggest these incase you want to use a mild, physical scrub.

Now, coming to Chemical Exfoliation which is a much better option I believe, if you have acne prone skin. Chemical exfoliation involves dissolving or loosening the bonds that hold dead skin cells on the skin’s surface. Some common chemical exfoliants which prove to be good for acne prone skin include:

Today, Markets are flooded with OTC products which contain these as ingredients.You can always consult your dermatologist before going ahead and picking the right chemical exfoliation products(face wash, toner, moisturizer, masks) depending on how sensitive your skin is, what options would suit you better etc. In case you want to inculcate one chemical exfoliant in your regime you can start with trying the following face washes

However, if you prefer “The Au Naturelle” Route to beauty and want to try a few natural skin exfoliators you can try the following too:

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a great natural exfoliant and has anti-inflammatory properties . I have used oatmeal as a scrub and it definitely gives good results. You can finely/coarsely grind some oatmeal in a blender or food processor, then mix it with some medium of your choice like rose water, milk, honey etc. Mix thoroughly until it becomes a smooth paste, and then apply the mixture to your face. Leave it on for 15 minutes, and then rinse with warm water.Sugar

Sugar is made from sugar cane, which is a natural source of glycolic acid, an alphy hydroxy acid. Glycolic acid is good chemical exfoliant that helps in sloughing off dead skin, as well as boosting new skin cell production and making the skin smooth, soft. Mix about one-half cup of sugar (white or brown ) with rose water or facial oil to make a paste. Using circular motions gently massage the mixture into your skin and rinse well — it’s safe enough to use on both face and body.

Papaya

Papaya contains the enzyme papain, which dissolves old, dead skin cells without harming the younger, live cells beneath . It’s also believed that the enzyme can help heal the skin and cause lines and brown age spots to vanish. You can take some papaya pulp, or just grate it and apply straightaway on your skin for smoother, softer skin.

Coffee

Coffee has great exfoliating, anti oxidant properties and helps tone the skin as well.You can Mix some coarsely ground coffee with some honey and use the mixture to scrub off dead skin cells.

Finally, here are a few tips one should keep in mind when you need to exfoliate Acne Prone skin:
• Never over do it, be very gentle when rubbing your face.
• Ideally, don’t exfoliate more than 2-3 times in a week when using physical scrubs
• Avoid physical scrubs completely if you have active acne
• Don’t go under the sun right after exfoliation.

Nupuriii this is such an excellent post. Now I realize how much i missed reading your articles. You got me addicted to ubtans and seriously they are excellent for dry skin as well. i mean i really cant stand using scrubs because they leave my skin super dry. it’s only ubtan that i use for scrubbing and they are awesome. and thankoo for this post. it’s sooo helpful. *puchhi* *puchhi*

hihih yeah have tried oats but always forget about using them. 😛 yes loving both the things. the soap does not melt away like other hand made soaps and the face pack is amazing. i have the mud one and it gives me such a cooling tightening effect. very much like fe products. very good! 🙂 i am planning to pick a thing or two more from them 🙂

hey there, i have a question for all beauty experts here. i hav an oily to normal skin and it is very very senitive. i have been using lush beauty products since last two years, and simply love them – especially herbalism (ive been using it as a facewash). bbut i recently came to know that the product are no more sold in india. please can u suggest which brand of products can replace it with

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